Promotion of Breast Feeding As per the UNICEF Report “The State of World’s Children, 2015”, the rate of early initiation of breastfeeding in South Asia is 39% and that of exclusive breastfeeding is 47% which is lower than India. In India, as per the recent Rapid Survey on Children, 2013-14, the rate of early initiation… Read More »

All Hospitals should provide free medical treatment to Acid attack/Rape victims under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 Government of India has set up a dedicated fund called Nirbhaya Fund for implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. The corpus transferred to the Public Account for the… Read More »

Steps Taken to Improve Standard of Primary and Secondary Schools Department of School Education and Literacy has two centrally sponsored schemes viz. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to assist States in universalization of elementary education and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) for universal access to secondary education. The Central Government through SSA, supports States/UTs on… Read More »

Fellowship for Research Degrees As per the information furnished by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the number of students pursuing research degrees, including M. Phil and Ph.D who received fellowships, under their schemes, year-wise since 2013, is the following: Year Number of students 2013-14 41970 2014-15… Read More »

Restructuring of Curriculum in Higher Education India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 62% of its population in the working age group (15-59 years), and more than 54% of its total population below 25 years of age. A skill gap study conducted by National Skill Development Corporation over 2010-2014,… Read More »

Real Estate Bill passed near unanimously by Rajya Sabha; MPs say Bill spurs the sector Government lauded for accommodating suggestions of various parties in the Bill Chairman of Select Committee of the House complimented for widest consultations Implications of retrospective application of the Bill and discrimination will be addressed in the Rules, says Shri Venkaiah… Read More »

Approval for Amendment to the Sikh Gurudwaras Act, 1925 The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Moditoday considered the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding amendment in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 to remove the exception given to Sahjdhari Sikhs in 1944 to vote in the elections to the… Read More »

Ganga Gram Yojana Under the “Namami Gange” Programme, the government plans to develop the villages located along the main stem of river Ganga which have historic, cultural, and religious and/or tourist importance. Works related to Ganga Grams will encompass comprehensive rural sanitation, development of water bodies and river ghats, construction/ modernization of crematoria etc. The… Read More »

Clean Ganga Fund As part of Namami Gange programme, Government of India has set up “Clean Ganga Fund” for encouraging contributions from Resident Indians, Non-Resident Indians, Persons of Indian Origin, Institutions, and Corporates towards Ganga Rejuvenation. The total contribution received as on 4th March 2016 in Clean Ganga Fund is Rs. 87.69 Crores. As approved… Read More »

World Bank AID for Cleaning of Ganga River The World Bank has provided financial assistance/loan for $ 1 Billion for abatement of pollution of river Ganga against the National Ganga River Basin (NGRB) project approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) at an estimated cost of Rs. 7000 crores under the National Ganga… Read More »

Shri Nitin Gadkari launches Highway Advisory System Pilot Project on Delhi-Jaipur Highway The Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari launched the Highway Advisory System (HAS) as a pilot project on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway, NH-8, in New Delhi today. HAS is a free-to-air information distribution system that uses radio to make… Read More »

Electronic Weighing Machines on Toll Plazas The Government is planning to install electronic weighing machines at all toll plazas on National Highways to prevent and detect overloading of commercial goods transport vehicles. NHAI has mandated Indian Highway Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, to install Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Bridges on public funded fee… Read More »

New Chief Justice of Gauhati & Rajasthan High Court In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Ajit Singh, Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, to be the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court with effect from… Read More »

Rajya Sabha clears Real Estate Bill seeking to make consumer the king Bill to foster a happy alliance between consumers and developers, says Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu Notoriety in real estate sector needs to be ended to encourage investment flows, says the Minister If telecom sector with a few operators has a regulator, real estate… Read More »

Union Home Minister’s Statement In Ishrat Jahan Case The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh made a Statement under Rule 197 of the Rules of Procedure in Lok Sabha today regarding alleged alteration on affidavit in Ishrat Jahan case. The following is the text of the Home Minister’s Statement: “ In a police action with… Read More »

Machine tools and equipments being imported A number of Indian users of Capital Goods are importing Heavy Industrial Equipment like Electrical Equipment, Machine Tools, Textile Machinery, Printing Machinery, Plastic Processing Machinery, Metallurgical Machinery, Earthmoving & Construction Machinery, etc. from China. The details of import for the last year (2014-15) from China are as under: … Read More »

Thunderstorm Accompanied with Squall/Hailstorm is likely at some Places of the Country over Next Three or Four Days India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its bulletin has given information that thunderstorm accompanied with squall/hailstorm is likely at some places of the country over next three or four days. It says an intense western disturbance currently lying… Read More »

SMS Alert about Weather Conditions being Provided to Farmers The Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS) of Earth System Science Organization (ESSO)-India Meteorological Department (IMD) is rendered on twice weekly basis in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), IITs etc. Giving this information in a written reply in… Read More »

General election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, 2016 – Media Coverage during the period referred to in Section 126 of RP Act, 1951. The schedule for calling general election to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal has been announced on 4th March,… Read More »

Manufacturing of components of Atomic plants A “Programme of Action” for localisation of manufacturing in India for Russian designed nuclear power plants, was signed between Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Russia’s Atomic Energy Corporation ‘ROSATOM’ on 24.12.2015. Under the above Programme of Action, both sides agreed to take time-bound specific steps towards finalising the… Read More »

Raising of resources to Fund Nuclear Insurance Pool M/s General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC-Re), along with several other Indian Insurance Companies, have launched the India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP) with a capacity of ₹1500 crore on 12th June, 2015, to provide insurance to cover the liability as prescribed under Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage… Read More »

Approving of LIGO-India The Government has given in-principle approval for setting up Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India. The LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory on the Indian soil in collaboration with the LIGO Laboratory in the U.S. run by Caltech and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The project will bring… Read More »

Policy for the Grant of Extension to the Production Sharing Contracts signed by Government awarding small, medium sized and discovered fields to privateJoint Ventures The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a policy for grant of extension to the Production Sharing Contracts for small and medium… Read More »

Decision on Marketing including Pricing freedom for the gas to be produced from Discoveries in High Pressure-High Temperature, Deepwater and Ultra Deepwater Areas The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approveda proposal to grant marketing including pricing freedom for the gas produced from High Pressure High Temperature,… Read More »

Memorandum of Understanding between India and Bahrain on Cooperation for Prevention of Human Trafficking especially trafficking in Women and Children The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bahrain on cooperation for prevention of human trafficking especially trafficking in… Read More »

Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and United Arab Emirates on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber-Crime The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and… Read More »

Creation of the post of National Authority (Joint Secretary level) in the Ministry of Coal under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for creation of a post of Nominated Authority (JS level) in Pay Band 4: Rs. 37,400-67,000 plus… Read More »

Amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act, 1957). The amendment will allow transfer of captive mining leases not granted through auction.Transfer… Read More »

Removal of the minimum capacity utilization criteria for SSP Manufacturing Units to be eligible for subsidy under Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme. In order to push major policy reforms in the fertilizer sector, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the proposal for removing the minimum capacity utilization criteria… Read More »

Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). Four main facets of this policy are: i) uniform license for exploration and production of all forms of hydrocarbon, ii) an open acreage policy, iii) easy to administer revenue sharing… Read More »

Major Policy initiatives to give a boost to Petroleum and Hydrocarbon Sector In a major policy drive to give a boost to petroleum and hydrocarbon sector, the Government has unveiled a series of initiatives. The Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting today has taken the following decisions –… Read More »

Vice President congratulates ISRO on successful launch of PSLV–C32 The Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on successful launch of PSLV–C32, here today. Following is the text of Vice President’s congratulatory message: I offer my congratulations to the Scientists, Engineers and Technicians of the Indian Space Research… Read More »

ISRO Developing Station in Vietnam As part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), at the behest of Government of India, is working towards the establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility in Vietnam for ASEAN Member countries.… Read More »

Satellites of other Countries Launched by ISRO During the last three years starting from January 2013 until December 2015, a total of 28 International customer satellites belonging to 9 countries were launched viz. Austria (2), Canada (5), Denmark (1), France (1), Germany (1), Indonesia (1), Singapore (7), UK (6), USA (4). These satellites were… Read More »

Tezpur University and JNU win the annual visitor’s awards for Central Universities Tezpur University has won the annual Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best University’ and Prof. Rakesh Bhatnagar as well as the Molecular Parasitology Group of JNU have won the Visitor’s Awards for ‘Research’ and ‘Innovation’ respectively. President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will present… Read More »

Special Package for Bihar The Government has announced that it will construct and upgrade National Highways including major bridges with an approximate cost of Rs 50000 Crore in the state of Bihar. The details of the projects are given below: Sl. No. Projects 1. Works under different phases of National Highways Development Project (NHDP) –… Read More »

Held Cenvat Credit on Insurance Service So far as the cenvat credit on insurance service is claimed, the exclusion of such service in certain events has been incorporated into the law with effect from 01.04.2011. That is only in respect of the insurance coverage given to employees during journey availing leave travel concession. But that… Read More »

GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND TAXES (POLICY BRANCH) VYAPAR BHAWAN, I.P. ESTATE, NEW DELHI-110 002 No.F.3(639)/Policy/VAT/2016/1642-48 CIRCULAR NO. 40 of 2015-16 Dated: 08-03-2016 Sub: – Scrutiny of Returns-regarding As you are aware that a return furnished by a person required under section 26 of Delhi Value Added Tax Act,… Read More »

Circular No.08/2016-Customs F.No. 520/43/2015-Cus VI Government of India Ministry of Finance Department of Revenue Central Board of Excise & Customs North Block, New Delhi Dated the 8th March 2016 To, All Chief Commissioners of Customs/Customs (Preventive) All Chief Commissioners of Customs and Central Excise All Commissioners of Customs/Customs (Preventive) All Commissioners of… Read More »

Ready Mix Concrete Taxability of Ready Mix Concrete, now days has gathered a great impetus, due to various investigations and enquiries being raised by the excise department to collect excise duty. It is pertinent to note that till now, exemption Notification No. 12/2012-CE is applicable only to concrete mix, and in contrast, RMC {classifiable under… Read More »

INSURANCE (PROCEDURE FOR HOLDING INQUIRY BY ADJUDICATING OFFICER) RULES, 2016 NOTIFICATION NO. GSR 178(E) [F.NO.12018/1/2015-INS.II] DATED 17-2-2016 In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (la) of sub-section (2) of section 114 of the Insurance Act, 1938 (4 of 1938), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:— Short title and commencement 1. (1)… Read More »

SECTION 54 OF THE COMPETITION ACT, 2002 NOTIFICATION NO.SO 646(E) [F.NO.5/20/2011-CS], DATED 2-3-2016 In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of section 54 of the Competition Act, 2002 (12 of 2003), the Central Government, in public interest, hereby exempts the Vessels Sharing Agreements of Liner Shipping Industry from the provisions of section 3… Read More »

SECTION 268A OF THE INCOME-TAX ACT, 1961 FILING OF APPEAL OR APPLICATION FOR REFERENCE BY INCOME-TAX AUTHORITY CLARIFICATION ON APPLICABILITY OF CIRCULAR 21 OF 2015 LETTER F.NO.279/MISC./M-142/2007-ITJ (PART), DATED 8-3-2016 The monetary limits for filing appeals before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals and High Courts were raised to Rs. 10 lakhs and Rs. 20 lakhs… Read More »

National Pension System or NPS What is National Pension System? The Government of India (GOI) rolled out the NPS for all citizens of India from May 1, 2009 and Corporate sector from December, 2011. The person (employee/citizen) who joins the NPS will be known as “Subscriber” in the NPS. Under the NPS, each Subscriber will… Read More »

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